Liberation
by Totally-T3ii3
Summary: What if Ponyboy had gotten that note from Johnny sooner? What if he'd saved Dally's life with that little bit of insight? This is my take. The books ending was better, obviously but I needed to write this.


Well, reality has been a real bitch lately. Isn't it always? My uncle kicked it, Dally reminds me of a friend and myself, the world doesn't seem fair, college is daunting. Basically: this was spawned an an attempt to be liberated from the.. the harshness of living. Liberation.

* * *

He was running.

In one hand he clutched the carton of Kool's he'd just mugged from the grocery store, and in the other he was clutching tight to the only thing he had left of his best friend. That stupid black-stringed necklace, with some silly red, blue and yellow beads around the bottom stuck in one spot by knots on either side. Johnny had seen him take it one day- just for the principal of taking it. He really thought it was ugly and when they stepped out he meant to toss it good and far.

"Dally, wait.." Johnny spoke up and he stopped mid-toss, the black string stuck between his fingers still and he looked at Johnny who was not looking at him, "Dally, can I keep it?"

"You want the ugly thing?" Dally asked, rolling his eyes and lossening his grip, extending it to Johnny, "Sure kid, take it."

Johnny watched him drop it in his hand and smiled a bit shyly, holding it up to inspect it, "Looks real tuff, Dally, like an Indian thing or somehtin'."

Dally had shrugged and yanked out a weed and lit it up and started smoking. Ignoring how entranced his best friend was by the stupid necklace. Johnny always wore it though, tucked safe under his t-shirt, Dally didn't understand but he didn't bother trying either. But, Johnny had forced him to take it for the rumble, he insisted it would keep him safe- or, at least give him courage with his bum arm.

But now.. now, Johnny was dead. Johnny was gone.

His throat constricted and the street before him became a long, grey blur, even though the sirens were far behind him they blared in his ears. He heaved his chest and ran; ran faster and harder than he'd ever run before. The bottom of his chucks slammed hard onto the pavement sending shivers up his spine, snapping through his body as he ran.

He didn't know why he called Darry and told him he needed a place to lie low. He wasn't planning on living much longer because there was nothing else good in the world now. Without Johnny it ached. It ached. His throat was still tight, and he couldn't see. Oh well, he exhaled, stumbling into the lot. The fuzz on his heels. Coming into the lot were the others, and he cursed himself for looking up at them; they all knew what he was planning.

At least he had an auidence.

He truned to face the cops, and from the waistband of his tight Levi's he pulled out the black heater. He cocked the trigger- fuck the fact it wasn't loaded. They didn't know- and he saw them raise their guns. His teeth were grit. Silence.

"Wait! DALLY!" it was a harsh shriek and his head snapped over to the crowd of his friends and to his grim shock Ponyboy was running towards him. He felt his eyes grow round with shock, and vaugley heard Darry and Sodapop screaming for him to come back. That it wasn't safe. Dally lowered his gun, the cops were still stiff and rigged, weapons raised but they eased. They wouldn't shoot an innocent.

And Pony was as innocent as they came.

"Glory! Boy, what you thinking?! Get back there!" He hissed, grabbing Pony's arm but the boy shook his head valiantly, refusing to budge as Dally shoved him back

"No! No! I gotta tell ya' sumthin'! I gotta tell ya'! Its from Johnny! I gotta tell ya'!" he cried grabbing the front of Dally's shirt and shaking him as hard as he could but Dally only wobbeled a bit. He wouldn't have budged an inch if Pony hadn't shouted it was from Johnny. Maybe he wasn't dead after all? His heart stopped a moment, but he knew it wasn't true. What could it be?

Ponyboy took a moment to catch his breath, then looked up, tears in his green-grey eyes, "H- he said; Dally, he said: there's still some good in the world, that its not all bad. He told me t'ask ya' t'look at a sunset, Dally! If- if you die now you'll never see one again!"

Dally stared at him, eyes unreadable, cloudy, "Th- thats why you risked your skin?" he hissed, his voice shaking, quivering. "Thats so stupid! There ain't no good in this world without Johnny!" he hissed raising a hand to backhand Ponyboy, who flinched and turned his head away expecting the strike.

But it never came instead he felt Dally quiver- his jacket was shaking a little and he looked up to see his icy eyes swelling with tears, his broad shoulders trembling a little. "Th- thats so stupid!" he spat, "So stupid!"

"Wasn't t'Johnny. Johnny thought.. Johnny thought it was good, that you needed to live, Dally. You were his best friend. His buddy." Pony smiled tentativley, looking up

Dally wiped at his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket in vain "St- stupid kid! I told him it ain't worth it! Them little brat's lives wasn't worth it! What I wanna live for if.. if Johnny ain't 'round, huh?!"

The cops lowered their guns, watching as if intrigued. Darry took this chance to walk over to them, with the help of Two-Bit, Soda, and Steve, they managed to reason with the cops. Dally's gun and the stolen carton of Kool's, and the cash from the register would go with them, but Dally could stay. Darry approached the boy, who was sobbing, his shoulders rounded a bit, and Pony who looked damn-proud of himself. Darry was proud of him too and mussed his hair up a bit before snagging one arm around Dally's shoulders and pulling him in close.

Dally sobbed, reluctantly allowing Darry to comfort him. His pride ached almost as much as his throat, and his eyes were stinging but the tears wouldn't stop. It hurt- it hurt so damn bad. He didn't know what to do. The world was hard, a tough, dark, scary place. He always thought Johnny was the light- some sort of shning light. Despite his pain, his parents, and the bullshit he went through with everyone, Johnny was never, ever too high and mighty, too busy, too cool to listen to him when he went on a rant. Johnny never told him to go away. Johnny never batted an eye when he cried. Until now, only Johnny had seen him cry.

Darry was a lot like Johnny- down here in the gutter, but big enough to look over the grime and into the light. Dally never could. And, Darry was also a lot like Johnny the way he was petting his hair back out of his eyes, and tucking it behind his ear. It was soothing, made him calm down a bit. The soft mumblings of words he hardly made out helped too. He still ached, still wanted to die. But, maybe right now he'd let them in. Just for a minute he wouldn't be tough.

--

"He asleep?" Two-Bit whispered through the darkness to Darry who sat on the couch with Dally's head in his lap. Still stroking his hair, still being strong until the very last moment when Dally had exhausted himself and fell asleep. Pony was nodding off, tucked under Darry's other arm; he'd been helping as best he could too. Darry was real proud of him.

"Seems to be" he responded, voice also a whisper, not looking up from Dally's heavily-closed, red-rimmed eyes, his flushed, stained cheeks

"Never knew Dally had such a pair of lungs" Steve murmured rubbing at his temples with two fingers

"What do you expect?" Soda replied slowly,

"He cried a lot" Two-Bit mumbeled, looking down, he hadn't been smiling these last few hours, "Makes me wonder if Dally, big tuff Dally, cried so much why haven't I?"

Soda had something to say about this too: "Dally and Johnny were tight- not as tight as Pony and Johnny, but Dally loved that kid all the same. Cared 'bout him. More than, I think, he even cared 'bout himself"

Darry nodded, stroking his hair back. "Dunno what to do though, Dally's real messed up over this too. We all are. But.. he's takin' it hardest"

Pony sniffeled, "Poor Dally"

"Don't give him pity" Two-Bit said suddenly, "That'll make him mad. Not that right now, if it was anyone else, pity would be bad. But, just give him space."

"Space is the last thing he needs" Darry replied evenly, "Someone's got to stick with him. We can take turns. I don't want to risk losing him to himself- to that weird little world he gets all botteled up in. Johnny always got him out, but Johnny's gone and its up to us now!"

They agreed, and Pony decided to take the first shift the next day when Dally woke up. Then, they all crashed in the lving room, not leaving him alone because Darry was sure he would run.

--

Dally didn't wake up until nearly the next evening, and Pony sat dutifully on the floor in front of the couch, watching Mickey Mouse- he wondered where the heck Two-Bit was. He was missing his favorite show, and all. There was a groan, and he turned to see Dally forcing himself up to his elbows, he'd been sprawled out on his stomach for the last two hours. He blinked the burning sensation from his eyes and then turned to Pony.

"wha' time is it?" he murmured, his voice hoarse from bawling so hard the night before

"Nearly six" he replied softly, "want some water?"

"The sun set yet?" Dally asked, ignroing Pony's question, the boy shook his head, "Well come on then" he pushed himself up and rubbed sleepily at his eyes with the palm of his hand. Pony didn't hesitate and hopped up, following him outside.

The sun was just setting, and Ponyboy took him to the center of the lot and they watched it in silence. It was real pretty, just like it should be. The pinks and purples and yellows mixing with the light blues and whites, around a simmering orange sun. Dally was dead silent until the lat wisps of pink faded behind the mountains. Then, he looked down at Ponyboy, eyes unreadable.

"Thanks, kid" he murmured

"You're welcome" Pony replied, "Wanna head back in? Darry has supper done, I bet."

Dally nodded as they turned around, he stopped at the edge of the lot and looked out over it. Pony stopped too, and stared up at him oddly until Dally cleared his throat. He wasn't going to cry every again. He'd cried last night, bawled himself into complete exhaustion in Darry's arms but that was the last time. He looked at Pony.

"You think he's watchin' us?" he asked, a low tone to his voice. Dally always said he didn't believe in the other-world, heavan and God and all that

Pony nodded his head, "Yeah, I bet he is."

Dally smirked and looked toward sthe sky before turning and heading back to the Curtis' house. Ponyboy was happy- at least someone was going to be alright.

* * *

I'm not sure what I think about this.

Feedback is appriciated but I wrote this for myself. I needed it to be written so even if I get no reviews that fine.


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